The rezoning proposals passed through council on Jan. 24

Two rezoning proposals for a cannabis dispensary at Scottsdale Centre and a cannabis processing facility on Annacis Island, respectively, breezed through council on Jan. 24 with no discussion.

Both proposals received first and second reading and were then referred to public hearing.

The first proposal is a cannabis dispensary at Scottsdale Centre in North Delta.

The proposed site is located in close proximity to Save-On-Foods, Wal-Mart Supercentre and a B.C. Liquor Store and would only be accessible from the interior of the shopping centre, while remaining invisible from the building’s exterior aside from a sign at the mall entrance.

The proposed non-medicinal cannabis dispensary would be operated by the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch and would be required to obtain a City of Delta business license.

The store would include 145-square metres for the retail floor area and 102-square metres for office and storage.

Most of the opposition cited the dispensary being too close to schools, but the Delta School District has said the location was “a fairly large distance” from their nearest school.

Delta staff also reviewed other municipalities’ minimum-distance requirements for dispensaries from “sensitive areas” and found the proposed dispensary to meet or exceed an average of those requirements.

Delta Police reviewed and accepted the applicant’s security plan proposing a number of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) enhancements and have no concerns regarding the proposed dispensary.

Delta Fire & Emergency Services also have no concerns.

Though council directed staff not to accept any new cannabis dispensary applications until further notice on Sept. 27, this application was received on July 19, 2021 before that resolution.

The second proposal is for a cannabis processing facility on Annacis Island.

The proposed site is located at the end of a cul-de-sac and contains an existing 3,289 square meters industrial building, which would be utilized for the cannabis processing facility.

Processing cannabis derivatives and undergoing research and development on CBD extracts would be the main operations within the facility, and notably, doesn’t include the growing of cannabis or hemp.

The applicant has already been granted a Standard Processing License by Health Canada under the Canada Cannabis Act, which does not permit growing, and would still require a City of Delta business license if successful.

Installing 15 new parking spaces, one new bike rack and an outdoor amenity space are proposed to meet zoning requirements, and these site improvements – in addition to DPD’s security recommendations – would need to be installed prior to issuing a business license.

Public notification was sent out on July 22 and a public notice sign was installed on the proposed site a few days later. Four neighbouring property owners have expressed their opposition, citing concerns about air quality and odour issues, increases in crime and traffic and a decrease in property values.

“Traffic to and from the subject property would be minimal, as there is no direct sale to end consumers (only business to business transactions) and the cannabis processing would only require one to two deliveries of unrefined cannabis oil per month,” reads a Delta staff report.

DPD and Delta Fire have indicated no concerns regarding the proposed facility.

And though the applicant submitted an Air Quality Management Plan and Waste Management Plan to Metro Vancouver, it was concluded that they do not require any permits. Staff note that if any concerns arose, Metro Vancouver would reassess the need for additional permits.